Heading into spring football, it was unclear how much of a void Arizona State would feel due to the departures of safety Zach Catanese and cornerback Keno Walter-White. A month later, it had become clear that one would probably be missed more than the other, as the safety position saw little or no drop-off due to the impressive emergence of a returning player, while the cornerback spot opposite Justin Tryon became even more of an unknown.

Far and away, the biggest surprise performance of a returning player this spring was by junior Troy Nolan, who arrived in Tempe last spring, but missed all of the 2006 season due to a knee/quad injury. His thigh muscle had significantly atrophied due to being inactive and it took much of last year to build up the strength in his leg.